A work in progress
Tap Factory owners Brandon Horrell (left) and Paul Rock
There are plenty of craft beers on tap to choose from at the Tap Factory in Monongahela
Some of the beers on tap in October at the Tap Factory
The dining room at the Tap Factory in Monongahela
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Brandon Horrell wanted to launch a business, but was uncertain of the direction to take. He partnered with another Valley guy, Paul Rock Sr., and they developed a plan: open a bar/restaurant.
It was an endeavor with which neither had experience. “Whether this will be good, we don’t know,” Horrell says, laughing mildly.
Last spring, he and Rock checked out an old, rundown bar off Coyle Curtain Road in Fallowfield Township. The place needed an overhaul – and more – but while assessing the profound level of disrepair, they recognized an opportunity.
Out of their foresight and tireless toil, Tap Factory was born. Horrell and Rock closed on the property in June, overhauled it nonstop and – in less than two months – unveiled their new endeavor. Since Aug. 5, the craft beers have been flowing, the entrees have been cooking and the people have been coming inside a 1,600-square-foot facility that is neatly appointed, but still a work in progress.
To Horrell, Tap Room is fulfilling a need in a strategic location: serving a populated area that is a short jaunt from Interstates 43 and 70 and Route 88, but underserved by food and drink destinations.
“I’ve been talking to a lot of people who have been traveling out of the area to get craft beer and decent food,” says Horrell, 38, an experienced registered nurse from Belle Vernon. “Business has been good, dinner more so than lunch. Weekends have been packed. There’s not really much competition nearby.”
Tap Factory certainly lives up to its name, as there are 27 beer taps around the main bar. Horrell says most are craft selections, many from Pennsylvania, including several from this end of the commonwealth.
A few taps appear to be loaded with something more explosive than brew. They are replicas of pistol handles, a trademark of Arsenal Cider House & Wine Cellar in Lawrenceville, a supplier of hard apple cider for the Fallowfield establishment.
“We brought a little bit of Pittsburgh here with the taps,” says Rock, 70, of Stockdale, a muscular and affable former Washington County sheriff’s deputy. “You can get anything here that you can get in Pittsburgh.”
Horrell says the entrees “are good” and are served “in good portions.” He says Will Hartman of Allenport drew up the initial menu, which includes pasta dishes, sandwiches and other attractions. Tap Factory has daily drink and food specials, including wings on Mondays; tacos and margaritas on Tuesdays; and gourmet hot dogs – a foot long – on Saturdays. Fish sandwiches are the Friday feature.
The owners have a staff of about 16 who serve sports and non-sports aficionados alike. Patrons can watch games from large-screen TVs strategically located around the spacious bar/restaurant, which seats 85. This upstairs area is largely completed. Downstairs isn’t. Horrell says a second bar and a party room, under construction, will be going in.
There is an outdoor deck with holes that would turn and, seemingly, devour ankles. Rock and Horrell hope to redo the 20-foot-by-30-foot structure next spring while adding a tiki bar. Below the deck, they plan to set up cornhole and horseshoes areas where, apparently, bocce courts once stood. Sections of the wooden rails remain embedded in the soil.
Parking is not an issue at Tap Factory. Rock estimates there are 100 spaces, front and back, on the 1.6-acre property.
He, Horrell and Horrell’s stepfather, Howard Hill of Belle Vernon, have done most of the refurbishing. “We’ve ripped the whole place apart,” Rock says, smiling.
Horrell isn’t amused by the memory. “I’d be here at 7 in the morning and leave at 1 a.m.,” he laments. “On weekends, I’d be here till 3 or 4 in the morning.”
But he carries on, as the ripping, painting and repairing haven’t ended. That second bar and party room have to be constructed below, a new deck is a necessity, and the outdoor gaming area has to be cleaned up. The owners, however, are motivated by visions of the finished product.
“I’m happy for people around here,” Rock says. “I hope they keep coming.”